Heather Beardsley, Ph.D.

Summary:

Heather Beardsley has an educational background in mechanical engineering and over 17 years of experience in applied research and industrial work. Much of her work has focused on design and implementation of Automation Systems for a variety of manufacturers, Quality Engineering for major medical device manufacturers, and application of Lean Six Sigma techniques for improving existing products or processes.

Areas of Expertise:

Heather’s areas of expertise include Product Design, Process Monitoring and Control, Automation of Manufacturing Systems, design of medical device instrumentation, and Quality Control of existing operations using Lean Six Sigma techniques. She also has extensive experience in thermal manufacturing operations and control of automated welding operations.

Scope of Experience:

Because of Heather’s extensive background in mechanical engineering, applied research and industrial work, her work with the manufacturing extension partnership (MEP) at the University of Texas at Arlington has resulted in over $900,000 worth of PI funding and over one million dollars in Co-PI/Technical Role funding.

Relevant Assignments:

Heather’s most recent work in applied research has focused on prototype design and fabrication of surgical instruments, cycle testing and analysis of machine components and equipment performance, and quality control of manufacturing processes for medical device production. She has also been involved in diagnostic work of thermal manufacturing operations through her work in data acquisition and thermal finite element analysis.

Education and Training:

Heather received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Syracuse University, and a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. Her master’s work addressed monitoring and controlling weld penetration in gas tungsten arc welding based on infrared sensing of the weld pool parameters. Heather’s Ph.D. dissertation focused on controlling weld penetration in gas metal arc welding using high-speed machine vision to monitor the metal transfer process from the electrode to the weld pool.

Honors, Awards and Special Accomplishments:

Heather is currently a Special Member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. She received the Automation and Robotics Research Institute 2001 ARRI Final Report Award on “Testing, Analysis, and Design Improvements for Rotating Tool Motors.” She also received the Best Research Paper Award ­­– Proceedings of the 75th Anniversary Energy Sources Technology Conference at ASME International Petroleum Division in Houston, Texas. Heather received a Fellowship from the American Welding Society and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society and Pi Tau Sigma National Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.

Previous Employers:

Center for Robotics and Manufacturing Systems at the University of Kentucky

Contact TMAC

202 E. Border Street
Arlington, TX 76010
Suite #323

(817) 272-5909

(800) 625-4876

TMAC is the official representative of the MEP National Network and NIST MEP in The State of Texas. The MEP National Network is a unique public-private partnership that delivers comprehensive, proven solutions to U.S. manufacturers, fueling growth and advancing U.S. manufacturing.